


Barry Eats a Waffle

by SparkleDragons



Series: Grishaverse TAZ AU [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Barry and Lup go on a date, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy, Six of Crows AU, grishaverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:54:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleDragons/pseuds/SparkleDragons
Summary: Barry and Lup go on a date and Barry tries something new.





	Barry Eats a Waffle

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm back. SO so so sorry that went so long. I'm hoping to update the main fic by the end of the week but I felt bad leaving this on hiatus for so long so here's this! Nice fluffyness before I start hurting them again. I wrote this a while back but didn't post it cause I wanted to save it for something like this. Enjoy! : )

The small, dingy restaurant Lup takes Barry to smells like the harbor. That’s the first thing Barry notices. The sent of fish and salt stings the inside of his nostrils. It’s not all that surprising, it’s a shack near the 1st harbor, the one he learned is under jurisdiction of the Golden Fates. To be fair all of Ketterdam smells like the sea, but it’s less prevalent behind the gates of the University, holed up in well-kept buildings and under flowering trees. Here it permeates the walls and the furniture. He hopes it doesn’t get into the food.

 

“Welcome to The Shack, Barry,” Lup chimed as they settled into stools at the bar. “Best damn place for waffles on the cheep in Ketterdam.” She held up two fingers to the bartender, who nodded in response, and said, “Whisky’s pretty garbage but it’s fine enough for this sorta thing.”

 

“I’ve-uh had whiskey a few times,” Barry said. He was still looking around the little restaurant nervously. He knew he was fine with Lup around. She’d made that pretty damn clear the last time they’d hung out. She said she would have shot the dude who was messing with Barry in the arm if he hadn’t been there. She didn’t want him to see that and, frankly, he was grateful. He’d never seen someone be hit in the face with an umbrella like that before and he didn’t really want to see it again.

 

“Sick. Nothing better than whiskey and waffles for a birthday.” She turned again to the bartender. “Hey, Ren, could we get two whiskey’s with those waffles too?”

 

“You got it, Lup,” Res replied and went into what Barry assumed to be the kitchen to file in the order.

 

“So how’s being twenty treating you?”

 

“Uh. Lucretia bought me a new fountain pen? It’s really nice.”

 

“New _bottane_ gear, cool.”

 

“ _Bottane?_ ”

 

“It’s Ravkan. Means smart stuff that doesn’t have to do with the small sciences. Speaking of,” Lup leaned in close and whispered in in ear, “how’s your training with Merle going?”

 

The hairs on the back of Barry’s neck bristled at bit at Lup’s breath so close to his face. “Uh-um,” he felt his brain stuttering a bit. “It’s-uh. It’s going good. I can do minor stuff now.”

 

Lup hummed in approval. The lessons had been her idea. She said it was smart for a Grisha to know how to hone their abilities at least a little should the need arise. To be fair, Barry had been feeling a lot better in general since he’d started. Grisha need to use their power to stay healthy and he’d always skimped on that before. The more regular use was not only making him feel less tired, he wasn’t getting colds as often.

 

“Keep up the good work, Bear. You’ll be a healer in no time.” Lup leaned back on the stool so only two legs were on the floor and put her feet up on the counter. No around one seemed keen to correct her.

 

“A-actually I’ve found more interest in the heartrender stuff,” they were both talking in hushed whispers now. “Healing is great and all but knowing exactly how to tear stuff how you want is fascinating.”

 

Lup gave him what he assumed to be a quizzical look by the way her mouth lilted up at the corner. He was getting better at reading her expressions from behind the glasses. “Really? Wouldn’t have pined you for a violent type”

 

Barry’s face went a tad hot. “I-I mean. Uh. I don’t actually use it much. Uh, only practice stuff. Um-“

 

Lup cut him off with laughing. “It’s cool, Barry. You don’t have to explain that stuff to me.”

 

“Lup, boots of the counter.” Ren came back in with two trays of whiskey and waffles. Lup smiled and obliged, the feet of the stool cracking against the floor as she let it drop back down. Ren set the plates and glasses down only after Lup was back in a proper sitting position. Barry honestly was surprised she let anyone tell her what to do.

 

The waffles looked amazing, light and fluffy with a tan-brown crusting, drizzled with syrup, and topped with berries. He didn’t have anything to compare it to, Lup had rushed him here as soon as he told her he’d never had waffles before, but they certainly smelled wonderful.

 

Barry breathed in the welcome relief from the prevailing sea oder, looking up only when the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Lup was staring at him intently.

 

“Uhm… Lup?”

 

“Don’t mind me,” Lup proper her head on a hand and grinned. “Just wanna watch the experience.”

 

Barry glanced around awkwardly before picking up his fork and cutting out a piece of the dessert. He took one more glance at Lup’s insistent stare before shoving the bit in his mouth.

 

It was fantastic. The crunchyness of the outside was contrasted by a fluffy inside. The syrup added a sweetness that suited Barry’s dislike of things overly sweet perfectly. It was like cake but so much better and more manageable. The waffle itself was a perfect fluffy blend of an eggy, creamy taste that Barry just melted into.

 

His bliss was cut off by Lup’s laughing. “Pretty good, huh?”

 

Barry’s only response was a mumbled “mhm,” around another mouthful. Talking was not going to be between him and this food right now.

 

“Slow down, Bear,” Lup said, muffled around her own waffle in her mouth. “You’re gonna choke.”

 

Barry groaned and complied with a small sip of whiskey. Contrary to the waffles, it was maybe the worst whiskey Barry’d ever had. It burned as it slipped syrupy down his throat and tinged his tongue with the awful taste of something akin to the smog near the fabric dying workshops. He instinctually coughed and spluttered against the liquid sliding it’s way into his body.

 

Lup snickered and took a sip from her own glass, not flinching in the slightest.

 

They finished the meal in relative silence, neither exactly prone to casual conversation. Barry didn’t partake in any more of his whiskey and could still taste the bitterness as Lup payed. She wouldn’t let him see how much the meal was, but he figured waffles and whiskey wasn’t cheap, even in the cheapest spot you could find. He would have felt bad for not finishing the whiskey if Lup hadn’t downed it for him instead.

 

Lup brought Barry back to his dorm in the relative silence of the night. This part of Ketterdam was quiet and calm, unlike the area were Lup lived.

 

“You have your key, right?” Lup said as they approached his residence hall. “I don’t think i can teach you to climb a drain pipe right now.”

 

“Uhh,” Barry made a quick check of his pockets, panicking a bit before his hands closed over the key. “Yeah I got it.”

 

“I guess this is where we part, then.” Lup grabbed Barry’s hand before he had a chance to unlock the door and pulled him back to the bottom of the steps. Saints she was beautiful. The moonlight reflected in her glasses and shined in her hair as she stood smirking at him.

 

“Happy birthday, Bear,” Lup said warmly and hooked a hand around the back of his neck. Barry felt the heat in his face rise as she leaned in, leaving just enough space to let him fill the gap. He did so gladly.

 

Lup’s lips were warm against his own and Barry melted into her hold. When they broke away Lup was smiling like a happy cat and Barry had dropped his key in favor of staring like a dazed deer.

 

“Get your key and go to bed, Barold,” she said it without the usual kind teasing and just pure affection. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Barry couldn’t get his mouth to form words so he just let her stroll off into the night. He wasn’t actually sure how long it was before he started to attention and realized he needed to find his key and get inside before someone saw him thought he was being weird.


End file.
